While I agree that the article is a bit specious, I think there is a deeper argument to be made about Springstein's specific kind of lyrics.
As mentioned in the article, his lyrics are about blue-collar workers and the associated struggles and life. This was probably an under-served / poorly talked about community when he was on the rise. It's just a case of focussing on an under-served market. I'm not sure of Springsteins' background, but if he came from a blue-collar background, then he would have known his community / market really well.
So I guess the lesson is, serve an under-served market with talent that's good enough. It helps if you, yourself, are the customer :)
I can name two other well-known acts off the top of my head that at least partly serve the same "market": Billy Joel (who incidentally is the same age as Springsteen) with songs like "Allentown" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allentown_(song)) and Bon Jovi with songs like "Livin' on a prayer" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livin%27_on_a_Prayer). However Joel (who can also be described as a legend) has been semi-retired for the last 30 years, with his last album coming out in 1993, and Bon Jovi are probably a bit too commercial (and have failed to live up to their big success in the eighties/nineties). So it's not like the market was underserved, but Springsteen has a special combination of staying power/intellectual appeal/whatever else that makes him unique...
As mentioned in the article, his lyrics are about blue-collar workers and the associated struggles and life. This was probably an under-served / poorly talked about community when he was on the rise. It's just a case of focussing on an under-served market. I'm not sure of Springsteins' background, but if he came from a blue-collar background, then he would have known his community / market really well.
So I guess the lesson is, serve an under-served market with talent that's good enough. It helps if you, yourself, are the customer :)